Commerce Express Weekly Road Map:
November 14th, 2023
Keeping you informed on the latest news/insights in our industry.
Trucking –
- As of November 13th, the national average price of diesel is $4.294 per gallon, dropping 7.2 cents from last week, per data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
- Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles has shut down temporarily, due to fire damage. There is no current timeline for reopening of the I-10 portion.
- California governor Newsom declared a state of emergency on November 11th, allowing more resources to be used for repairing the destruction.
- Georgia is extending fuel tax suspension through November 29th.
- This is an effort to provide tax relief for drivers throughout the Thanksgiving holiday period.
- This is the third time since the early part of summer that a fuel tax suspension has happened.
Rail –
- Northeast Corridor in the U.S. is set to receive $16.4 billion in rail upgrades.
- Due to a shortage of rail cars out at the ports of LA/LB, rail dwell times are rising.
- Canadian National plans to offer intermodal service at the Port of Gulfport.
- A trial run is expected in the coming weeks.
- Port of Mobile (Alabama) looks to add a fifth expansion at the port.
- This would add 40 more acres of yard space and is an effort to serve the ‘growing demand’ for intermodal service out of the port.
Cross-Border –
- Cargo volumes from Vancouver or Prince Rupert that are U.S. bound, have seen a decline.
- Some argue this was due to the dockworker strike over the summer.
- Canada is implementing a new online database to decrease risks from transporting dangerous goods within the country.
- By next year, registration is required for people and companies importing, offering transport, handling/transporting dangerous goods, to get a more precise picture of what’s happening.
Transportation Capacity Benchmarks Ease in October
While transportation capacity did increase in October and pricing continued to decline, the rate that it increased by (7.6 percentage points), was ‘less severe’ than what it was in September.
This data in the Logistics Managers’ Index report is complied with a diffusion index where a reading above 50 indicates expansion while one below 50 signals contraction.
Transportation prices declined for another month, marking the sixteenth straight month. However, as Freightwaves points out, companies that are closer to the consumer (think retailers), actually saw increases in transportation rates.
The overall LMI was 56.5 – up 4.1 points – in the month of October. More details from the Logistics Managers’ Index, here.
Wyoming is Rolling Out New Roadway Messaging System for Truckers
Winter is coming and the state of Wyoming is planning on getting a jump start in preparing truckers.
Transportation officials in Wyoming are rolling out a new roadway messaging system to alert drivers about at-risk vehicle weights during winter’s peak accident season approaches. This is an effort to help truckers avoid the dangerous blow-over crashes on interstates.
“We are working to enhance the system to provide specific forecasts of expected winds with potential road closures 72 hours in advance of a major event,” a spokesperson for the Wyoming DOT says on the matter.
Within this program WYDOT will keep an eye on current and forecast wind speeds, along with road geometry, to determine how heavy a commercial vehicle or other trailer would need to be to avoid the extreme blow-over risk and update its messaging in real time, per Transport Topics. Read more on how truckers can prepared for the winter.
Commerce Blog
A study led by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an independent U.S. government agency responsible for consumer protection from banks, lenders, and other financial institutions, unearthed an unsettling conclusion impacting professional truck drivers.
The yearlong study has revealed that there is widespread risk for owner-operator truck drivers being rushed into signing what the agency defines as predatory lease-purchase agreements. In other words, agreements which hide or fail to clarify the details drivers are signing to pay.
NTSB Wants Rail Industry to Use Positive Train Control More
The National Transportation Safety Board would like the rail industry to ‘leverage the safety benefits’ of PTC.
Positive train control is a safety technology that the U.S. government mandated Class I railroads as a way to prevent train collisions and derailments, due to speeding.
Last week the NTSB came out with a report that shows areas where the railroads and the FRA could ‘maximize’ PTC technology by creating new technology that could further strengthen PTC capabilities.
Total Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending November 4th, 2023
- For the week ending November 4th, total weekly rail traffic was 484,757 carloads and intermodal units – down 1.7 percent compared to the same time last year, per AAR data.
- U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 260,342 containers and trailers – up 1.5 percent.
- Motor vehicles and parts, farm products (excluding grain and food), and petroleum and petroleum products all saw increases. While grain, coal, and non-metallic minerals all saw decreases.
- For the first 44 weeks of this year, North American rail volume totaled 28,833,863 carloads and intermodal units – down 3.4 percent compared to last year.
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